Factions
Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction Allied Nations, The Allied Nations are one of the main factions in the video game series Mercenaries. They are mainly comprised of United States soldiers but also include soldiers from at least 12 other nations. In Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, the AN is headed by Colonel Samuel Garrett and Major Steven Howard. They used the US Embassy in North Korea near the Demilitarized Zone as their base of operations during the North Korean conflict, and then later a building near the city of Kusong up in the Northern Province. Their only mission is to remove Song from power, dead or alive. Their soldiers wear a green/grey jungle/urban-style camouflage and blue helmets similar to the real life UN Peacekeepers. They can be considered the most technologically advanced faction in the game, with an arsenal of high-tier weapons and vehicles at their disposal. They mainly use humvees to get around and can frequently be seen patrolling around the DMZ and the roads near the areas around Kusong in the Northern Province. They are rarely seen around any other areas; however, some units can be seen in Pyongyang, the Taechon Western Battlefield and of course at the MASH. Sometimes they are seen driving APCs near the DMZ and Blackhawk helicopters frequently fly overhead. In the Northern Province they are once again less widespread and are mostly found only around their headquarters and MASH. The majority of the AN contracts in Playground of Destruction include having to rescue someone, escort personnel or destroy immediate threats to their bases of operations. Mercenaries 2:World in Flames After the realization of the factUniversal Petroleum could not defend themselves and with the destruction of the Venezuelan oil rig, the Allied Nations mobilized their forces to "Protect the people and the democracy of Venezuela," although it is merely (and obviously) a front to justify their invasion of the country so as to secure their oil. (a concept based on the 2003 Iraq war) However, after having a dispute with China over where the oil goes, a conflict breaks out in which the player aids one of the factions to victory, whilst terminating the other side's leader. In the case of the Allies, their leader is Agent Phillip Joyce. *While the Allied Nations may seem weaker at the beginning, their gear towards the end is superior compared to the Chinese in the long run. It is also worth noting that the Allies own the strongest tank in the game, The Diplomat Heavy Tank, which can destroy the other high end tanks in one hit. *Unlike the Chinese, if Solano attacks the Allied HQ he uses a Neutron Bomb, not a Plutonium Bomb. *The Allies are only friendly towards UP and the Mercenary (if they are on good terms), they are hostile to everyone else. *Agent Joyce attempts to double-cross the mercenary, claiming the usual problem of red-tape, until the Allied HQ is utterly destroyed, in contrast to Peng, who offers it with his blessings and wishes the mercenary luck in his/her hunt for revenge. nown Members Named Characters *Colonel Samuel Garrett *Major Steven Howard *Special Agent Phillip Joyce *General Welch *Weapons Inspector Jordan Smith *Sergeant Patterson *Sergeant Lo Unnamed Characters *AN HQ Door Guard *3 Shot down helicopter crewmen *4 Weapons inspectors *Allied Pilot working for CIA and South Korean Union Diplomacy Playground of Destruction Allies: South Korea, China Enemies: Russian Mafia, North Korea World in Flames Allies: Universal Petroleum Enemies: People's Liberation Army of Venezuela, China, Rastafarian Pirates, Venezuela Trivia *In Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction whenever you kill an AN soldier you will be fined money for it, even if they are hostile towards you. *The YAH-56 gunships flying above the allied MASH and headquarters in the northern province are the only ones encountered in the game. The only way to obtain one of them is to snipe the pilot and hope that when it crash-lands it doesn't blow up. *It is possible to find an AN soldier in Mercenaries 2: World in Flames before the arrival of the Allied Nations proper. When you find him, he will have a XM8 Combat Rifle that you can take, as well as a nearby Messenger. *In Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, some of the AN soldiers have pedestrian dialouge based on Pauly Shore's In the Army Now character, Bones Conway, whereas they talk in Valspeak and say stoner-like phrases such as "Man...why's everyone so hostile here?" "Heeeeeey! (as a greeting)" and "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa whoa...WHOA! There's oil here? Where man?" *In Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, some of the AN soldiers can be seen enjoying some down time at their main base such as one swinging a baseball bat (hitting nothing) and another swinging a golf club (also hitting nothing) as well as listening to music-bobbing their heads to the tempo, as opposed to the Chinese soldiers who are seen practicing martial arts punches in a horse stance inside their main base. = People's Liberation Army,= The People's Liberation Army is the collective armed forces of the People's Republic of China, they are one of the world's strongest military forces The People's Liberation Army is one of five factions in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. The PLA, commanded by Colonel Zhou Peng, would like to set up a pro-China regime in North Korea and make the country a province of the PRC, an objective similar to the other factions. This naturally puts them at odds with both Korean nations-South and North. The Chinese have access to a massive array of firepower, including tanks, artillery, and large numbers of soldiers. Much of these strengths are given to the player when on Chinese contracted missions. Col. Peng repeatedly sends the player on missions that his forces are incapable to complete with sufficient precision, such as assassinations and other covert operations. When working for the Chinese, jobs will often involve work against SK or NK forces. Although officially part of the Allied coalition, the Chinese forces operate independently and do not follow the standard AN equipment patterns - they wear winter/urban camouflage gear and use Type 56 assault rifles, RPGs, and RPD machine guns extensively. PLA Officers carry Type-85 SMGs and some PLA Soldiers carry heavier weapons, such as Anti-Tank and Anti-Air missiles. Some specialized soldiers will also carry Sniper Rifles. Being the largest single military force in the world, the PLA has access to some exceptionally powerful vehicles - these include a wide range of heavily-armed APC and tank variants and heavy-lift helicopters. The PLA also features vast artillery coverage and supplies the Fuel Air Bomb air strike. The army, however, does not have much in the way of airpower, only having one helicopter gunship: the WZ-9 transport/light support The PLA make a return in World in Flames with the intent to install a pro-China regime in Venezuela. They originally funded and used the People's Liberation Army of Venezuela as a proxy; However, when it became clear that their leader, Marcela Acosta, was more interested in establishing a government independent of foreign control, and with the Allied Nations taking matters into their own hands, the Chinese military, under Zhou Peng, attempt to seize control of the country themselves. Known Members Named Characters *Colonel (later General) Zhou Peng - Commander of the PLA during the Song Initiative and the Venezuelan Crisis. *Captain Kai Leu - Peng's personal aide. Unnamed Characters *The PLA HQ Guard. *Six officers who lead the defense of Propaganda Village. *A tank commander stationed in Nampo. *An undercover soldier spying on the Russian Mafia in Yongbyon. Vehicles World In Flames Armored Tiger Semi Armored Tiger Cargo Armored Tiger Tanker Armored Tiger MLRS Leaping Fox Leaping Fox GL Salamander APC Iron Dove Heavy AA Iron Dove Jammer Sundered Dragonfly IFV Dragon Lance Light Tank Tempered Hammer Artillery Iron Mountain Heavy Tank Jade Wind Heavy Transport Locust Assault Helicopter Warsong Attack Helicopter Bladesong Missile Boat Diplomacy Playground of Destruction Allies: Allied Nations, South Korea (During the first half of the game) Enemies: North Korea, Russian Mafia, South Korea (During the second half of the game) World in Flames Allies: People's Liberation Army of Venezuela Enemies: Allied Nations, Rastafarian Pirates, Universal Petroleum, Venezuela =South Korea= South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea (ROK) is a nation on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. A presidential republic, it is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east and North Korea bordering to the North. It's capital city, Seoul, is the largest city in South Korea and the worlds second largest metropolitan city. Korea has a 5,000 year history, making it one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, it has been split since the end of the World War II and tensions between them are high, though South Korea continues towards a peaceful re-unification. A Democratic nation, South Korea maintains a strong alliance with the United States. South Korea is one of five factions in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. While the regular South Korean Army is part of the Allied Nations forces, a separate detachment called the South Korean Union (SKU) was a covert operation group funded, fostered and backed by the CIA, in the person of Special Agent Mitchell Buford. These SK soldiers take their orders from Langley, VA. The South Koreans are after the reunification of Korea, and have moved aggressively to establish a strategic foothold. Needless to say, they are not happy about China's designs on their northern neighbours. The South Koreans control technology much like the Allied Nations, and provide access to stealth fighter and bomber support (courtesy of the CIA). Agent Buford typically tasks the player with rescue/recovery missions or crippling infrastructure attacks that he does not want traced back to the South Koreans, though by the third "act" the SK and Chinese forces are engaged in open warfare. SK jobs can vary, most of them involve having to rescue an operative and pit the player against the North Koreans, the Chinese, and occasionally, the Russian Mafia. Most SKU soldiers are equipped with the same basic weaponry as their AN counterparts, such as M4A1 Carbines, grenades and AT/AA rockets. But their vehicle camouflage tends more towards a wintry white/grey/Blue pattern than the blue/green jungle/grassland color scheme of the AN machines, while their soldiers wear fatigues with entirely different color schemes, mostly blue or dark grey and most wear sunglasses (closely resembling the uniform worn by South Korean military police in the Joint Security Area of the DMZ). A few SKU Soldiers carry the MG36 Prototype Rifle, which is also used by some of the all-female commandos of the ROKA 707th Commando Battalion. SK snipers carry Sniper Rifles, while some officers and 707th commandos carry Covert Sub-Machine Guns. Some SKU troops have also employed RPGs and other anti-tank weapons. The SK motorized and mechanized forces feature TOW-armed variants of the Allied HMMWVs, APCs and powerful attack helicopters. However, since it is a covert unit, the SK forces lack heavy armored support. Speed and mobility are the South Korean forces' primary assets, as they do not have the heavy armor or manpower to engage in sustained combat with Chinese or North Korean forces. Collecting WMD blueprints (small white metal boxes with nuclear symbols on them) and/or destroying NK monuments (usually giant statues of General Song) will increase South Korean favor toward the player. Killing NK, Mafia, or Chinese troops in the presence of SK troops will also raise favor for the player as well. It is worth noting that, while the South Korean forces are referred to as the SKU in the instruction manual, this title, or the notion that the SK operation is a covert one, is mentioned nowhere else in the game. Viewing a soldier through the binoculars brings up the acronym ROKA; Republic of Korea Army, although this is probably due to the SKU being made up of soldiers from the ROKA. Named Characters *Agent Mitchell Buford - A veteran, burnt out, undercover and covert CIA agent who has been working in Seoul for 30 years and has formed a strong bond with it. He is glad to work with the mercenary and cares greatly for his soldiers and prefers to be left alone by the other factions. He is the de facto leader of the SKU. *Major Park - Buford's assistant and the official leader of the ROKA soldiers in the field. He is said to be in charge of South Korea's operations in the theatre, but this is most likely a diversion to keep the press from learning of the CIA's involvement in the war. *Lieutenant Yung Kim - An officer placed in charge of communications in the conflict. He is seen inside the HQ sitting by the radios. He sends all of Buford's e-mails to the mercenary. Unnamed Characters *The Guard of the South Korean Headquarters. *A spy tasked with monitoring Chinese activites in Pyongyang Airport. Diplomacy Allies: Allied Nations, China (During the first half of the game) Enemies: China (During the second half of the game), Russian Mafia, North Korea Trivia *The SKU are the only faction in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction that feature female soldiers, the ROKA 707th Commando Unit.